My mom handed me a recipe the other day.  She found it in her archives of recipes.  It was called Biscuits aux Carottes (Carrot Cookies) and was written in French on the back of an old yellowed calendar page with several folds in it and stapler holes.  She handed me a jar of honey along with the recipe to get me started.  Thanks Ma!

I never baked with honey before, so it sounded intriguing.  There is no sugar in this recipe.  Honey is the only sweetener.  That makes it a healthy cookie, right?

I was doing fine reading the recipe on my own at home until I came upon “muscade”.  Ok, I had no clue what that could possibly be, so I called my mom, my encyclopedia for all things French.  Well, apparently my encyclopedia is out of date, because she didn’t have a clue either.

So off to Google I went and learned that “muscade” is nutmeg.  There you have it.  Now I will know for next time.

The recipe also called for whole grain oats, but I used quick oats and it worked out fine.  I also substituted some of the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour.

So really, they are pretty healthy cookies.  And the best part was that they actually tasted good.  I am all for healthy, but if something tastes nasty, I don’t care how healthy it is, I just won’t eat it.  My stomach can’t take the abuse.  Thank goodness these were flavorful.  The honey gave them just the right amount of sweetness.

Honey Carrot Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

by The Sweet Chick

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients (36 cookies)

• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1 cup raisins

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º F.

With a mixer, cream the butter and the honey. Then add the eggs and the carrots and mix well.

In a large bowl sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until all is incorporated.

Then add the oats and the raisins, mixing until well distributed.

Drop batter by large spoonful or cookie scoop full onto a greased cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between scoops.

Bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes or until tops are a golden color.

Remove from oven and let cool for 2 minutes, then move cookies to a cooling rack to completely cool.

Enjoy with a glass of milk or coffee!